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About Numbered Notation

Numbered Notation (also called Jianpu, 简谱) writes each melody note as a number from 1 to 7 instead of a note on a staff. The number shows the note's position in the song's scale -- not its exact pitch -- so the same tune looks identical no matter what key it's sung in.

Within one octave, the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 correspond to the familiar do re mi fa sol la ti. A dot above a number raises it an octave higher; a dot below lowers it an octave lower -- no dot means the middle, as-written octave.

A plain number lasts one beat. A dash (-) right after a number holds that same note for one more beat. A line underneath a number shortens it instead -- one line is half a beat, two lines a quarter of a beat. A 0 is a rest: silence for one beat.

The label at the top of the sheet, like "1=C" or "1=Ab", shows which pitch scale degree 1 ("do") is tuned to. A song in a minor key is labeled "6=X" instead -- scale degree 6 ("la") is the true tonic. Chord names printed above the notes (like "C" or "G7") always use their familiar letter names, never numbers.

For example, under a "1=C" heading, the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 sound as C D E F G A B. Under a "1=G" heading, those very same numbers sound as G A B C D E F# instead -- same shape, different key.

Walk in the light

Encouragement For Walking in the Light

English658
1
Walk in the light, and thou shalt know
That fellowship of love
His Spirit only can bestow,
Who reigns in light above.
2
Walk in the light, and thou shalt find
Thy heart made truly His;
Who dwells in cloudless light enshrined,
In whom no darkness is.
3
Walk in the light, and sin abhorred
Shall ne’er defile again;
The blood of Jesus Christ the Lord
Shall cleanse from every stain.
4
Walk in the light, and e’en the tomb
No fearful shade shall wear;
The glory shall dispel the gloom,
For Christ hath conquered there.
5
Walk in the light, and thou shalt own
Thy darkness passed away,
Because that light hath on thee shone
In which is Perfect day.
6
Walk in the light, thy path shall be
Serene and clear and bright;
For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee,
And God Himself is Light.

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Maria L

Fremont, California, United States

Sep 13, 2025

Hallelujah! God is light, and in Him there’s no darkness at all. The divine light is the nature of God’s expression. Spirit is the nature of God’s person, love is the nature of God’s essence, and light is the nature of God’s expression. Praise the Lord 😀

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Ana Lara

Storrs, Connecticut, United States

Feb 12, 2021

About the time “Thou art the Everlasting Word, ” was being sung, another hymn was also popular among the various congregations:

“Walk in the light, so thou shalt know
That fellowship of love
His Spirit only can bestow,
Who reigns in light above. ”
Bernard Barton, commonly known as the
“Quaker Poet” is its author.

Some references say Barton was born in Carlisle, where his father, who belonged to a notable Quaker family, was in business as a cotton manufacturer. But a letter written by the poet, which came to the attention of the author of “Stories and Sketches of Our Hymns and Their Writers, ” states that Barton was born in London on January 31, 1784 shortly after his parents moved to London.

Bernard Barton was sent to a Quaker school at Ipswich, and when he reached the age of fourteen, became an apprentice to a shopkeeper at Halstead in Essex. After eight years of service he moved to Woodbridge, Suffolk, where he entered into partnership with his brother-in-law as a coal and corn merchant. Following the death of his young wife, within a year of their marriage, Barton became unsettled and abandoned the business. He went to Liverpool, where he was employed as a tutor in the family of a city gentleman but remained with them for only for a brief period of time. He then returned to Woodbridge where he became a clerk in a bank. He held this position until his death on February 19, 1849.

The poetical works of Bernard Barton are numerous and attracted the attention of the English poet Robert Southey, whose character was opposite from Lord Byron’s. For a number of years, Bernard received a pension of 100 pounds a year by the recommendation of Sir Robert Peel. From his works, over twenty hymns have been selected and are being used at the present time, the best known being “Walk in the Light. ”

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Steve Husting

Fountain Valley, California, United States

Oct 9, 2020

When the Spirit illuminates the Lord's glory, we see life with new eyes. Walk in that light.

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Sunny Olatunji

Nigeria

Jul 12, 2020

Hallelujah... AMEN

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Great01

Abuja, Nigeria, Central African Republic

May 25, 2013

Draw me nearer Lord, to Thy bleeding side...

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